'Myrmidon' Mastercraft Frigate
Variants Other variants of the Myrmidon: *'Myrmidon' Frigate *'Myrmidon' Frigate (Civilian) *'Myrmidon' Heavy Frigate Strategy and use The sturdy yet maneuverable Myrmidon class works as a dependable PvE and PvP frigate killer for level 50 Freetraders, Buccaneers and certain specs of Cutthroat. It is capable of relatively limited spiking but with defense, reload and accuracy buffs, it can become a real thorn in the back in a prolonged fight. Generally speaking, the Myrmidon MC is a well-rounded frigate, forgiving on inexperienced captains yet an open challenge for veterans who would attempt playing on its delicate balance of all-around moderate performance. It's a staple ship of NPC pirate packs and smugglers in the lower Antilles, making it very easy for all Pirate captains to farm captured deeds of this class. Tactics The Myrmidon MC's stamina and damage reduction give it an endurance advantage over Capricieux scout-types, while it maneuvers better than heavier Defiant and Deliverance class ships. The peculiar distribution of its guns, favoring an expanded gundeck but balanced by its reload bonus, gives it the ability to dish out sustained, penetrating damage even slightly beyond medium range. A standard approach would be to fight scouts as a heavy frigate and heavier frigates as a heavy scout hybrid. Against Scouts Experienced scout captains will attempt to use their superior maneuverability to close the distance and wear you down early by rotating sides and using damage spike abilities. In particular, they can cripple you/force you to waste repairs if they focus on your sails and crew, then press on their advantages to perform a forced boarding - a very good rule of thumb is to assume every scout captain ultimately aims to corner you into a boarding. Gain the upper hand by forcing your enemy to fight you at medium range (250-400 yds), where your defense, armor bonus and gun distribution/reload bonus make a sustained volley exchange a viable tactic for wearing them down. Don't be afraid to mix in bar shot volleys to keep your foe's sail health less than optimal (70-85%). Also, don't underestimate the benefits of stone shot: even if your opponent can easily switch sides to even out hull damage, they can only counter sail damage and crew reload penalties by wasting valuable repairs. Remember to use accuracy buffs, but favor reload fittings (within the limits of diminishing returns) to enhance on your basic bonuses. Against Heavy Frigates Start fighting heavy frigates the same way you would scouts. Range considerations become somewhat optional because their heavier guns are still very effective even at 400 yards. Still, captains sailing these vessels are aware of the advantages they can gain by combining damage increase abilities with the high volley damage of their broadsides, and a combination of distance and speed can help mitigate the effects of their early-game nukes. Ultimately, the Myrmidon MC 12-pounders will have a hard time penetrating the heavies' superior armor or matching the brute force of their batteries. Your best bet is to focus on their crew to hamper their broadside ability (or if you are fighting a NO, hit their sails to cripple them), then use your superior handling (mostly based on your ability to retain much more speed through turns) to close the distance and force them into a boarding battle/ get on their stern and start tailing them (keep in mind that although your opponent will lose momentum through turns faster, you can't stern camp them indefinitely either as your acceleration isn't exactly up to scout standards). Sitting in their arcs for too long, especially if you can't force some kind of reload debuff on them, will prove inevitably disastrous. Comparable Ships 'Cursed Blade' Refit Frigate